I teach in a private boarding school now, but I have tried this with several types of learners. I called it the Border's Books Scavenger Hunt, but you can do the hunt at any of the bookstores.

I have made up a question sheet which asks the students to find certain items...a traditional recipe from their culture, a dictionary in English and their native language, a TOEFL preparation book, a book on tape, a sport that they have never heard of, a map of a U.S. city, etc. The kids (or adults!) are sent around the store to find the items and bring them back to me (or the answers to the questions). The rule is that they must work alone and must ask the salespeople for help. Before the field trip, we talked about how to get a salesperson' s attention. BTW, they are not allowed to show their "scavenger list" to the salesperson. That's cheating. They have to SPEAK! The activity has always been a lot of fun for the students and a nice break for me as I sit and sip my cafe au lait in the Border's Cafe!!

Send me an e-maill if you would like a copy of the scavenger list. Oh! Almost forgot. We also brainstorm all of the categories that they might find in the bookstore before the trip. Then they have to write down the ones that they hadn't thought of and they see on the signs all around them. Have fun if you try it!